If you get married on Valentine’s Day, you are more likely to split up, experts warn

It sounds like the most romantic thing in the world - actually tying the knot on Valentine’s Day, the festival of love.

But sadly, it could well all end in tears - or divorce.

A study found that couples who get married on ‘gimmick’ dates such as Valentine’s day are up to 36% more likely to get divorced.

The researchers at the University of Melbourne say that choosing such dates is popular - with up to five times as many weddings booked on those days.

Professor David Ribar of the University of Melbourne says that certain types of couple tend to choose ‘special’ dates such as Valentine’s Day, or (for instance) 9/9/2009.

Professor Ribar said, ‘People who got married on special dates were more likely to have been married before and more likely to have children already.

'We also found that spouses who married on special dates were less alike, in terms of education and ages, than spouses who married on ordinary dates.’